Director & Instructor:
Upper Year Spirituality: "This Is Love - Love is the inspiration of countless songs, poems, books and movies - however what love actually is, is not well understood. This Is Love will explore its meaning and importance of "love" for us as Christians and how our experience of love opens a window into the very life of God".

The Rev’d Colin Nicolle has served as Rector in the Parish of St. Mary and St. John (PEI) since September 2016. He holds degrees in Classics, Journalism and Theology from King’s College, Dalhousie University and the Atlantic School of Theology (all in Halifax).

He’s an avid photographer and fly-fisherman and lives in Summerside, PEI with his wife, Shannon, and their dog, Bramble. Fr. Nicolle, originally from Nova Scotia, likes tea, dogs and hunting and will also be serving as Director for this year’s SMYC.

Activities Director

Archdeacon Perry Cooper was raised in the small fishing village of Trinity East, Newfoundland. One of four boys, he along with his other siblings grew up in a home where family life and church life were intertwined. In 1987, as young adult, he entered the Church Army College of Evangelism and in 1989 was commissioned an Evangelist in the Anglican Church of Canada.

Ordained a Deacon in 1997 and a Priest in 1998, he currently serves as Rector of the Parish of Chatham in the Diocese of Fredericton and as the territorial Archdeacon for the Archdeaconry of Chaleur-Miramichi. For the past few years he has also served as vice chair of Anglican Renewal Ministries of Canada.

Over the years he served the Church in Manitoba, Newfoundland, Ontario, Northwest Territories and Yukon. His theological training from Church Army College of Evangelism, Thorneloe University and Education for Ministry - University of the South.

Perry’s favourite book of the Bible is John's Gospel with his favourite verse being John 1:12 " But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God."

Perry is married to Kallie, his wife of 32 years, and they have two adult children living in Newfoundland.

Perry is an avid outdoorsman and conservationist. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, canoeing, hiking, camping, and mentoring youth through organizations such as the Baden Powell Service Association and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Instructor Year 1 Bible: Seeing through the Scriptures: Introduction to the Bible

Archbishop Edwards was born and educated in Shropshire, England. He studied at Loughborough University and Homerton College Cambridge and worked as a high school history teacher prior to completing diplomas in Religious and Evangelism Studies followed by a Master of Arts in Applied Theology at the University of Kent at Canterbury.

Both prior to and following his ordination in 1995, Bishop Edwards served in ministry in the Chelmsford Diocese in England, including as Bishop's Advisor in Evangelism and in the Parish of High Ongar. He moved to New Brunswick in 1998 to be Principal of Taylor College of Evangelism. He has since served in parishes in Saint John, as Parish Development Officer for the Diocese of Fredericton and as Vice-Chair of Safe Harbour Transitional Youth Services in Saint John.

Edwards was elected coadjutor bishop May 10, 2014 and, subsequently, installed as the tenth Bishop of Fredericton September 20. He became the 25th Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada (Dioceses of Montreal and Quebec and those in the Atlantic Provinces), and, as a result, an Archbishop, on August 1, 2020.

He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from Wycliffe College (University of Toronto) in May 2015 and now serves on the College's Board of Trustees. On behalf of the Anglican Church of Canada, he also serves as Liaison Bishop to Mission to Seafarers Canada.

Bishop David enjoys reading, walking and has been a lifetime supporter of the Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (the Wolves).

Instructor: Year 1 Theology: God: Who is He? What has He told us about Himself? How do we respond by faith?

Dr. Hebb has, over the years, been a very popular instructor at SMYC. He not only brings a lot of knowledge to his classes, but also a great enthusiasm to help Michaelites explore the subject with him. His teaching style encourages Michaelites to ask questions, dig deeper and create connections to their own lives.

Dr. Hebb is a native of Nova Scotia’s South Shore who has served in a number of parishes in the Diocese of Fredericton. A graduate of King’s College and Dalhousie University (both in Halifax), he received his PhD from the University of Wales, Lampeter in 2002.

Along with books on Maritime Church history, he has also written about the golden age of shipbuilding at St. Martins on the Bay of Fundy, and has written a few books on WW I and the Maritime provinces, including, "Letters Home: Maritimers and the Great War 1914-1918", "In Their Own Words: Three Maritimers Experience the Great War" and "A Canadian Nurse in the Great War The Diaries of Ruth Loggie, 1915-1916".

Don't let this "serious" face fool you - Dr. Hebb has a great since of humour and is well regarded by our Michaelites for his great advice, listening and conversations shared with them.

Instructor: Year 1 Introduction to Prayer: how do we worship, know, and serve the God of heaven and earth?

Sue Careless is a Toronto-based journalist who is also the author of the three-volume series Discovering the Book of Common Prayer: A Hands-On Approach. She is Senior Editor at The Anglican Planet and a foreign correspondent for the American publication The Living Church Magazine.

Before pursuing journalism, Sue taught high school English and Theatre Arts and still enjoys teaching teens and adults. Every summer for the past eight years she has led a play reading group and this winter the group is exploring Dante’s Divine Comedy. Currently they are still in Purgatory.

Besides journalism and drama, she enjoys photography, travel, gardening, birding and chocolate. She is also learning breadmaking and Spanish.

Sue and her husband Tone love hanging out with their four children and six grandchildren.

Instructor Year 1: Introduction to Prayer: how do we worship, know, and serve the God of heaven and earth?

Elizabeth King is well-experienced with St. Michael's. She has attended as a Michaelite, a counsellor and now as an instructor.

She holds a BA from St John’s Maryland and another BA from Cambridge University (UK). Elizabeth also has earned an MA in Classics from Dalhousie University (Halifax)

She brings joy and enthusiasm to everything she does. A mother of three, she and her husband currently make their home in Nova Scotia.

Instructor
Jonah: A Gospel Story: We will explore the book of Jonah. What do we do with this incredible story? What did Jesus teach about Jonah? How does the book of Jonah reveal the good news of God’s love?

Fr. Chris loves Jesus and his Church and has spent most of this adult life sharing the love and gospel of Jesus Christ, serving first in youth ministry, but also in community outreach and parish evangelism. He was ordained to the diaconate in June 2014 and appointed deacon-in-charge of the Parish of Kent. On June 28, 2015 he was ordained a priest and has remained in the Parish of Kent since that time.

Fr. Chris and Laura (his wife and a high school teacher) will continue on with the joys and challenges of rural parish ministry in Kent for the foreseeable future. Chris is also a volunteer firefighter and substitute teacher.

Fr. Chris has many professional interests. He is interested in how a new monasticism might form the heart of a parish; how priests might transition into bi-vocational ministry as a way to secure and perpetuate this essential ministry within the life of the Church gathered; the role that missionary clergy and lay leaders might play in the future of the diocese; and how the Church might get involved with community development and renewal as a fresh expression of Church.

Fr. Chris and Laura are foster parents and they remain passionate about youth ministry in general, and camp ministry in particular.

Fr. Chris enjoys reading and writing and playing video-games. He collects vinyl records and DVDs.

Fr. Chris is very comfortable with silence.
SMYC is thrilled to have Fr. Chris back on staff this year. Not only is his course always a favourite, he brings joy and fun to camp activities. He is also well respected for the example he brings to staff and Michaelite alike of a Christian who is always seeking to follow our Lord in all he does and says.

Instructor: Upper Year Bible: The Book of Job: Encountering God in the Mystery of Evil & Suffering”

The Rev'd Gerry Laskey was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He studied history at the University of New Brunswick before going on to earn a Masters of Divinity at Trinity College, Toronto.

Ordained Deacon 1983 and Priested in 1984, Gerry currently serves in the Parish of Derby and Blackville on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. Previously he has worked in the Parishes of Ludlow and Blissfield, Gagetown, St. Martins and Black River; served as a hospital chaplain and worked with Corrections Canada in Community Chaplaincy.

His first connection with St. Michael’s Youth Conference (SMYC) was as the parent of Michaelites when his three daughters attended some the early conferences. In 1998 he first became part of the teaching staff and has continued that involvement through to this year’s conference. In the past his courses have included, “The Temptations of Christ”, “John’s Gospel”, “The Psalms”, “Martyrs Ancient and Modern”, “Christ and Quarks: Science and Religion”, “A Short Course in Spiritual Combat (based on CS Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters and other works)”, “The Hard Sayings of Jesus”, “Pluralism, Tolerance and Revealed Truth” and others.

In SMYC he finds the coming together in community to celebrate and develop enduring faith and life-long friendships that encourage, challenge and educate us to be more of who Christ calls us to be – each and every day. He also finds it to be a whole lot of fun!

Fr. Gerry and his wife, Siobhan, are the parents of four children and have also enjoyed many years at SMYC with their two granddaughters.

Instructor: Upper Year Theology: "A Theology of the Body::Why do we have bodies? Are they just empty shells that carry around our souls? Does our body have any role in our conversion? In this course we engage with the Bible and with Christian thinkers both past and present to consider what Christianity teaches about the importance of our bodies.

While Fr. Hatt is well known to many involved with St. Michael's, this is his first time leading one of our courses. Fr. Hatt brings a lot of talent to SMYC and his course is sure to be a great addition.

Father Nicholas Hatt is the parish priest (Rector) of St George’s Round Church (Halifax) which is a diverse community in the inner-city. He has a passion for working with those who find themselves living on the margins of society, whether in material poverty or poor in spirit.

Before coming to St George’s, Father Hatt worked in residence life at the University of King’s College, with students of many different backgrounds. He believes that young people have prophetic voices which need to be heard by the church and our culture.

In his spare time, Father Hatt loves to read murder mysteries, run along the Halifax Commons, and cook for his friends while trying to live out the Gospel in the vibrant neighbourhood around his church.

Fr. Hatt brings a diverse experience, a lot of enthusiasm and a deep dedication to Our Lord to SMYC.

Instructor: Upper Year Theology: The Creeds - What the Christian Church actually has believed throughout the centuries as opposed to what many think it believes.

Canon Tapley returns to St. Michael's this year - and happily so. He was born in Woodstock, New Brunswick and is probably the oldest instructor. Oldest, maybe, but young at heart and eager to contribute to a great week of learning, friendship and fun.

He received a BA. in history from Mount Allison University 50 years ago and then had a twenty year career with the Canada Revenue Agency in a branch known now as Canada Border Services. He spent his last 14 years as a Customs Investigator.

He then attended Wycliffe College, Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto, receiving a Master of Divinity in 1995. 1995 is also the year when he was ordained deacon in the Diocese of Fredericton. After a short time in the Parish of Richmond he was priested and served in the Parishes of Waterford and St. Marks outside of Sussex until his retirement in 2017.

While in the parish he served as an RCMP Chaplain for 18 years.

He is currently assistant priest in a shared ministry of Waterford, St. Marks and Sussex.
He is married to Joan with two daughters and five grandchildren. The Tapleys live in a cornfield under the (Sussex) Bluffs in Dutch Valley with Earle their golden doodle. Allen works in the garden (loves garlic), does carpentry, and has too many other interests to mention,

Once an atheist he now loves Jesus.

Instructor: Upper Year Spirituality - “Who do you say that I am? How the church came to understand the divinity of Jesus.”

The Rev'd Terence Chandra, was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He studied history at the University of New Brunswick before going on to earn a Masters of Divinity at Wycliffe College.

Ordained Deacon 2005 and Priested in 2006, Terence currently serves at Stone Church in Saint John with his wife, the Rev. Jasmine Chandra.

In addition to serving as priests at Stone, both Terence and Jasmine also run Pennies and Sparrows— an outreach ministry that operates in inner-city Saint John, where they and their children make their home. You can learn more about this ministry here -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMaOgArlFxU

His hobbies include writing and music.
For a taste of his musical talent - take a listen to a cover of Genesis' "Follow You Follow Me" he and his brothers shared, dedicating it to the memory of their father who passed away in December of 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMaOgArlFxU

In 2022 he preached at the closing Eucharist at that year's St. Michael's Youth Conference. That sermon is available online along with other past sermons.

Instructor: Upper Year Spirituality: "This Is Love - Love is the inspiration of countless songs, poems, books and movies - however what love actually is, is not well understood. This Is Love will explore its meaning and importance of "love" for us as Christians and how our experience of love opens a window into the very life of God".

Eric Edward is currently the Co-Director of the Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project on Prince Edward Island. He has been with that project since 1998. He manages their forestry operations, is the lead chainsaw safety Instructor and summer camp director. Over the years, he's had a hand in nearly every aspect of the project and developed many of the restoration practices used by their staff. Eric is inspired by the vision of a forestry industry that values the health of forests, foresters and the community they support all equally.

He is the author of a book aimed at teachers on ecological education.

Eric has a long association with St. Michael’s Youth Conference – first as a Michaelite and later as staff. It is at SMYC that Eric and his wife, Lisa, first met. They are now the parents of three children, two of whom are also well familiar with the great fun of SMYC.

Instructor
Upper Year Spirituality: "This Is Love - Love is the inspiration of countless songs, poems, books and movies - however what love actually is, is not well understood. This Is Love will explore its meaning and importance of "love" for us as Christians and how our experience of love opens a window into the very life of God".

Shannon Parker-Nicolle, originally from Vancouver Island, is a graduate of Trinity Western University and has studied as an herbalist. Shannon likes flowers, mochi and Elizabeth Goudge novels. Shannon is no stranger to St. Michael’s Youth Conference, having served on staff in a variety of capacities over the years.